18 May 2010

Thoughts of Bugs Bug Me

I have not flown in more than two weeks. We headed off to Destin for 10 days and while there I heard our BK had gone into a scheduled major inspection and we had no spare aircraft to use while our regular mount was down for maintenance. That situation remained for three days after I returned from vacation. Then when our machine was back in its stable the weather began to be uncooperative. What an odd business.

We close out our logbook and start a new day at midnight. Two nights ago I walked out to get the logbook to accomplish that task and noticed Fireflies... lots of 'em. It was a cool, foggy night, and their numbers surprised me. I could not remember seeing them on cool nights this early in the year, and in the numbers I was seeing.

Today, while walking the dogs to insure against "accidents" in the house, I walked through a patch of clover blooming in our back yard and something there, or I should say the absence of something there, struck me-No Honeybees.

Memories or our childhood are faulty. I'm sure we cannot remember reality from those days because things today trouble us in so many ways and we WANT things to be the same as when we were kids. But I'm sure of this:Back then I was frightened to walk barefoot because doing so risked an almost certain Honeybee sting.And I'm reasonably sure of this:There were more "Lightning Bugs" back then than there are now.We lived in the country. For years there was pastureland across from our house where Fireflies could breed and live unmolested. In the video I conjure up from my childhood the numbers of them is absolutely amazing... winking and blinking as we ran after more of them, our Mason jar with nail holes in its lid already full of their brethren.

I know why there are no Honeybees...There is a problem with a certain mite that is attacking and killing them off. Scientists are working frantically to try to resolve the problem because loss of all Honeybees would have a major effect on our food supplies. It will bring a smile to my face to once again walk through blooming clover and see wild bees working to gather nectar there.

Seeing Fireflies out in large numbers this early in the year was comforting. It'll be fun to watch and see if their numbers match my childhood memories.

The honey bee problem has finally landed all the way over here. They are blaming it on two things.What is so sad, I see large jugs of sugar water put out at attractions to attract and kill the bees. Do these people not know, all nature and life in general need them to survive.Sometimes, I just hate stupid people. The Big Island used to have some of best honey around and so many flavors. So sad.